Activity monitors have become popular as a tool for promoting exercise and a healthy lifestyle. An activity monitor can include an accelerometer which can measure motions such as steps taken while walking or running, and estimate an amount of calories used. Moreover, user-specific information such as age, gender, height and weight can be used to tailor the estimate to the user. Such monitors can be worn on the wrist, belt or arm, for instance, or carried in the pocket. The monitor can be worn during an intended workout period or as a general, all day, free living monitor, where the user may perform specific exercises at some times while going about their daily activities at other times, e.g., including sitting, standing and sleeping.
An activity monitor can include a heart rate monitor. Heart rate monitors are also used to monitor individuals, typically during an exercise session in which the user tries to maintain a target heart rate. Some ECG-based monitors are worn on a chest strap, where the electrodes of the monitor are constantly in contact with the body and can therefore continuously determine heart rate. Heart rate data can be transmitted from the chest strap to a display such as on a wrist worn device for easy viewing by the user. Other monitors are wrist-worn, for example, and only determine the heart rate on demand, when the user touches electrodes on the monitor or provides another manual control input. The electrodes can be buttons on part of the watch case, for instance. In one approach, an additional ECG electrode contacts the user on the back of the watch. Other monitors use electrodes attached to gloves, on armbands or on small devices the user touches.